The reality of guns in the US is that a gun linked to a crime is likely to be part of a cohort of guns with a "short life to crime" having bounced through obfuscating straw purchases.
The most rapidly increasing (although still small in absolute numbers) class of gun associated with crime today are the 3D-printed variations:
Thousands of guns are found at crime scenes. What do they tell us?
So, yes, if this a crime of passion, a dispute between aquaintainces that escalated badly then there's a good chance the gun used has a history of ownership and registration.
If this is a crime related to home invasion gone badly then it's more likely to be a gun that fell off the radar some time past.
The most rapidly increasing (although still small in absolute numbers) class of gun associated with crime today are the 3D-printed variations:
Thousands of guns are found at crime scenes. What do they tell us?
* https://www.npr.org/2025/12/17/nx-s1-5641154/crime-guns-data...
So, yes, if this a crime of passion, a dispute between aquaintainces that escalated badly then there's a good chance the gun used has a history of ownership and registration.
If this is a crime related to home invasion gone badly then it's more likely to be a gun that fell off the radar some time past.